The 8 on the Cutting Edge of Culinary Excellence

The Chefs Doing Better Than All The Other Chefs

These people make the things you don't even know you want to eat yet. They come from such hallowed
institutions as Per Se and Alinea. They use the James Beard House like a teacher's lounge. They sneak fried
taco bites into 22-course menus.

They are the eight chefs of the culinary vanguard right now...

1-2. Greg Denton and Gabrielle Quiñónez Denton

The Restaurant:Superbite and
Ox, Portland, ORThe Scouting Report: They’re taking their self-described “Argentine-inspired Portland
food” to the next level with dishes like house-made SpaghettiOs spiked with truffle.

3. Miles ThompsonThe Restaurant:Michael’s, Santa Monica, CA.The Scouting Report: An L.A. son and rising star who shuttered his
celebrated first restaurant for a culinary walkabout. Now he’s back in the city to reshape an iconic Santa
Monica restaurant with his bold vision.

4. Michael GullottaThe Restaurant:MoPho, New Orleans,
LAThe Scouting Report: Taking his experience from some of NOLA’s best
kitchens, he is creating a fresh interpretation of Southeastern food—that is, both Southeast Louisiana and
Southeast Asia. Either way, fresh.

6. Greg BaxtromThe Restaurant:Olmsted, Brooklyn,
NYThe Scouting Report: This guy’s resume reads like a gastronome’s bucket list, with
stints at Alinea, Per Se, Blue Hill at Stone Barns and Atera. Now he’s on his own with a new lease on
life. And a new lease in Brooklyn that comes with an urban garden for his avant-garde, farm-to-table
cooking.

8. Jonathan BrooksThe Restaurant:Milktooth,
Indianapolis, INThe Scouting Report: Brooks recognized his status as a brunch savant early in life. Now
he’s laying claim to breakfast-to-lunch-hour supremacy with upcycled Dutch baby pancakes and carrot cake
waffles. He’s even been invited to cook his “fine diner” cuisine at the James Beard House.